Is voting compulsory?

Unlike at elections, where you are legally obliged to vote, you are not required to participate in the marriage survey.

What happens next?

A majority of votes in favour of same-sex marriage is not enough to legislate it.

If the postal survey finds more than half of participants in favour, then MPs would be granted a free vote on a same-sex marriage bill. It is expected such a bill would pass both houses or parliament and become law.

But one of the controversial parts of the postal vote is that MPs will not be bound to vote according to its result.